Improvement in sheet-metal cans



W. DeFOREST.

SHEET-METAL cm.

No.1'7Z,559. Patented Jan. 25,1876.

N-PETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFTCE.

DAVID W. DE FOREST, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LEONARDRICHARDSON, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHEET-METAL CANS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 172,559, dated January'35, 1876; application filed September 2, 1875.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, DAVID W. DE Fon- EST, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements inSheet-Metal Cans, of which the following is a specification: i

This invention comprises a thin easily-frangible metallic leaf, foldedupon or round the flange of a sheet-metal can-cover, and soldered to theflat top of said cover, whereby, without any extra soldered joint, andwithout detriment to the strength and stiffness of the flange, provisionis made for the ready attachment, by a frangible joint, of the cover tothe can, to hermetically seal the latter.

The invention further comprises an easilyfrangible metallic leaf, foldedupon a stiff strip, designed asthe flange of the cover, and

- soldered at its lower edge to the body of a sheet-metal can, wherebysaid can is fitted for hermetic closure by simply soldering the flat topof the cover to the upper folded edge of the metallic leaf folded uponthe strip, forming, after the soldering of the top in place, the flangeof the cover, the can being then capable of being opened by the fractureof the leaf, in'the same manner as when the cover is first made completewith the said leaf, and afterward soldered to the can.

Figure l is a central longitudinal sectional View of a can madeaccording to my invention; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on anenlarged scale, of the cover detached.

A is .a strip of tin or other sheet metal, of a thickness requisite tothe flange of the cover, and of any suitable width. B is a strip of thinbrass or other metal capable of be ing easily ruptured or torn by strainor stress therein. This strip is originally, say, three times as wide asthe strip A, but has one edge folded or lapped over one edge of thestrip A, so that while on one side of said strip A the leaf B extends aconsiderable distance beyond the opposite edge, on the other it laps toabout its longitudinal center, all as will be readily understood byreference to the drawings.

The leaf B is folded upon the strip A by any suitable machinery, in amanner well understood by metalworkers, and the two form, as it were, acompound strip, which is then cut into blanks, each corresponding inlength to the circumference of the cancover in the construction of whichit is to be used.

0 is the top of the cover, and, when the latter is to be formed completebefore attachment to the can, the blank comprising the stripA and leaf Bis inserted within, and concentric with, the turned-down edge a of thecover, the folded edge of the blank-i. 6., that which incloses the stripA-being brought snug against the said turned-down edge a, and solderedthereto at a.

It will be seen that the soldered joint at a secures the leaf B to thetop 0, while the leaf, being folded firmly upon the strip A, ashereinbet'ore described, firmly affixes the said strip in position toact after the manner of the usual flange of a sheet-metal can-cover.

The cover being shut down upon the body D of the can, as represented inFig. 1, the lower edge of the leaf B is soldered to the adjacent surfaceof the body D, the cover being thus firmly and hermetically attached tothe said body.

ln order to open the can the thin and easilyfrangible metal of the leafB is ruptured or torn by any suitable means, and may be readily strippedoff externally below the downwardly-turned edge a of the top, therebypermitting the removal of the cover.

It will be seen that when the strip A and leaf B are attached to the top0, as hereinbefore described, the cover thus constituted may be made upin quantities, and sold for application to cans of corresponding sizes,designed for various uses.

It will also be seen that by first soldering the lower edge of the leafB, folded upon the strip A, as described, direct to the body D, the canmay be made up in quantities for filling, and afterward be closed bysimply soldering the top 0 to the folded edge of the leaf B, the result,so far as concerns the closure and opening of the can, being the same asin the previously-named method of carrying the invention into practice.

What I claim as my invention is-- 1. The thin easily frangible metallicleaf B, bodyD of the can, substantially as and for the folded upon thestrip A, and soldered to the purpose set forth.

inwardly-turned edge a of the top 0 of the cover, substantially as andfor the purpose set v DAVID DE FOREST forth. Witnesses: 2. The thineasily-frangible metallic leaf B, H. WELLS, J r., folded upon the stripA, and soldered to the ELBERT DEARBOBN.

